Does Gaston need another bridge over the Catawba River?

Published: Tuesday, July 22, 2014 at 05:43 PM.

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Elected leaders in Belmont have taken different stances in the past two decades about proposed routes for the Garden Parkway, said City Manager Barry Webb.

“But the one thing our council has been consistent on was the need for another bridge crossing on the (South Point) peninsula,” he said.

The point of the parkway would be to connect I-485 in Charlotte with I-85 near Bessemer City. But Webb said even a bridge and abbreviated highway running to South Point or South New Hope roads would have its benefits.

“To have some additional linkage where there’s better access to Charlotte would be ideal,” he said.

That wish is being driven by continuing growth in southern Belmont and southeast Gastonia. Along the shoreline of Lake Wylie, a mixed-use development is being planned that will involve 810 upscale homes on 670 acres. Belmont made the venture possible last year by agreeing to annex much of the land.

A 22-mile toll road may never be built to connect Charlotte with southern Gaston County.

But even without it, many local leaders insist the region still needs the new bridge over the Catawba River that the Garden Parkway would provide.

Simply widening Interstate 85 won’t cut it, especially since that probably won’t happen for a decade, said Donnie Hicks, executive director of the Gaston County Economic Development Commission.

“If I-85 and (U.S.) 74 are all we’re going to have, it’s going to be insufficient to allow the economy to grow the way we want it to,” Hicks said recently during an interview about the dilemma. “There’s just no way.”

Uncertain promises of job creation, high construction costs, and opposition from voters, environmentalists and lawmakers have all put the proposed parkway on the back burner in recent years. Widening I-85 from Belmont to Gastonia has become the front-running option for trying to alleviate traffic headaches for people traveling between Gaston and Mecklenburg counties.

Lawmakers have made that a priority — in addition to blocking any local toll road.

The state’s new formula for prioritizing road improvements gives higher scores to projects that promise a payoff of economic development. Widening I-85 by adding one additional lane in either direction ranks highly under that system, while the Garden Parkway recently received a dismal score.

Growth coming, like it or not

Elected leaders in Belmont have taken different stances in the past two decades about proposed routes for the Garden Parkway, said City Manager Barry Webb.

“But the one thing our council has been consistent on was the need for another bridge crossing on the (South Point) peninsula,” he said.

The point of the parkway would be to connect I-485 in Charlotte with I-85 near Bessemer City. But Webb said even a bridge and abbreviated highway running to South Point or South New Hope roads would have its benefits.

“To have some additional linkage where there’s better access to Charlotte would be ideal,” he said.

That wish is being driven by continuing growth in southern Belmont and southeast Gastonia. Along the shoreline of Lake Wylie, a mixed-use development is being planned that will involve 810 upscale homes on 670 acres. Belmont made the venture possible last year by agreeing to annex much of the land.

Steven Hinshaw of Realty Advisory Corp. in Charlotte, a lead partner in that project, said construction will begin this fall, though it will take 10 years to build everything. State DOT requirements will guide improvements they make along New Hope and Armstrong roads, including new turn lanes and a traffic signal.

But considering other residential growth that is likely coming, he said, “it makes sense to have another (river) crossing nearby.”

“The region would benefit greatly from an alternative to the I-85 river crossing,” Hinshaw said. “The economic boost to the area would be massive.”

Bridge support

Hinshaw’s development will be built on land that left to the Seven Oaks Foundation after the death of Daniel Stowe, who also founded the nearby botanical garden that bears his name. Proceeds from the sale of the land will benefit the garden.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden Executive Director Kara Newport said the nonprofit remains a vehement supporter of the Garden Parkway, which would pass just to the north. The Gaston Regional and Montcross Area chambers of commerce also support that position.

“The garden was designed and built with a future roadway in that proximity in mind,” Newport said, adding that it would boost visitor attendance by improving access.

From a timing perspective, the parkway concept may not have the political or financial support to proceed now. But Newport predicts public opinion will turn in favor of such a project as traffic congestion becomes worse.

“Widening I-85 is not the answer for addressing all the traffic issues,” she said. “We are in favor of a southern roadway with a bridge.”

Ben Smith, owner of Twin Tops Fish Camp at 4574 S. New Hope Road, said he has mixed opinions. He understands the position of residents who don’t want to lose their homes due to a new highway coming through, and of people who want the rural area to remain so.

“As a resident of Belmont, I kind of like the quiet, and the fewer the people, the better, you know?” he said.

But Smith knows growth is coming. And as the owner of a restaurant that’s operated in a quiet pocket of the county for 46 years, he said it’s impossible not to see a benefit from some type of additional Catawba River crossing.

“I’d be all for it if it meant bringing more business,” he said. “And more houses and more traffic mean more business.”

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.